Labor Minister Hojatollah Abdol-Maleki (photo) has resigned after only 10 months on the job. While he gave no reason for his departure, he has come under criticism for the large volume of labor strikes and protests going on in Iran. Most of those have centered on demands for higher wages or for payment of back wages. Abdol-Maleki, 41, is the first minister to leave President Raisi’s cabinet. He was one of the hardest of the hardliners in the cabinet, dismissing US sanctions as irrelevant and opposing any foreign investment in Iran.
